This film told the story of the town of Henan during the war, where a severe drought and famine caused 3 million people deaths as a result. It was an epic production to say the least. I don’t know what their idea of ‘hope’ is when they wrote the synopsis, but all I saw was a tunnel with no light at the end of it. It’s pretty depressing seeing things get progressively worse, but I think it’s important to watch it anyways to understand that part of history- even if just a little bit- and think about those in unfortunate situations today. Another aspect to the film was showing how communist China functioned and their reasons for sending emergency aid to Henan was shocking in my point of view. On the other hand, it was also interesting to see the focus family in the movie was of an upper-class family amongst those who typically live in poverty.

Rating: Depressing as ever, but incredible film and story line. I give it 4 Oi’s out of 5.

This Jordanian rom-com is about a woman called Monaliza who never smiles. Ever. She comes from a conservative family (also portrayed by her mannerisms and dress sense), and lives with her much older sister who hasn’t stepped out of the house in 20 years. She’s had no intentions to get married or be with anyone until she meets an Egyptian guy at her new job. From there, you see a lot of the struggles that a conservative girl would typically face in that kind of situation- family, nationality differences, admitting your feelings, and so on.

The characters were all well-written and the story had a nice flow. It’s not a new story if you’ve seen western rom-coms, but it is definitely new for the Arab world in a refreshing way. It had many depths to it, with supporting characters also having their own stories, which I found quite interesting. The ending was a bit too Jerry Maguire for me, but overall it was an enjoyable film.

Rating: Great Arabic film. We need more Arabic movies like this. I give it 4 Oi’s out of 5.

Each film festival has a couple of gems that everybody loves and talks about, and it’s usually not one with an all-star cast. This year, I think one of these gems is Bekas.

Set in the 90s, Bekas starts with two Kurdish brothers living on the streets of Iraq when the movie Superman hit theatres. They go and sneak a peak, only to get caught, and then they decide that they’re going to America to meet Superman and become friends with him. Their journey to get to America is so emotional as they keep dreaming and hoping inspite of all the bad surrounding them. And their brotherly love is so beautifully captured- those kids are super talented! Karzan Kader has done a superb job with this film.

Rating: A powerful film with the charm of childhood innocence. I give it 5 Oi’s out of 5.

The next showing for Bekas is on Saturday 15 Dec, and you can buy tickets at MoE or online here.

L’Ultimo Pastore (The Last??Shepherd),??is an Italian documentary about the last shepherd of Milan, Renato Zucchelli. Since he was 17, he wanted to be a shepherd. He says that he feels free when he does his job, and who wouldn’t be? He’s got the mountains to himself and his sheep, and a lovely supportive family living in Milan. But the job doesn’t come without challenges. With Milan laying down more and more concrete, finding grass for his sheep becomes more difficult. The other angle of the story are the kids of Milan and how nowadays they don’t get exposed to animals or know what a real shepherd looks like, and Renato’s dream is to show these kids just that.

I really liked the different tones the director,??Marco Bonfanti, took us through in the film. It started off comedic, then went into the more serious issues of the job, and then a more emotional ride. The visuals of Renato and his kids walking through the city of Milan with hundreds of sheep were simply stunning. It looked so surreal throughout the film.??

Rating:??A beautiful documentary that took me by surprise, and I highly recommend you give it a watch. I give it 5 Oi’s out of 5.

The next showing for L’Ultimo Pastore is on Wednesday 12 Dec at 3.45pm, and you can buy tickets at MoE or online??here.??

I watched this film during DIFF last year, but only got around to writing the review now. What can I say, I’m a busy girl…

This film is the directorial debut of Mami Sunada, and is a documentary about her dad’s life- who was diagnosed with cancer- up until he died. I really should have gone more prepared, because by the end of the screening my face was a mess- tears streaming down my face, puffy eyes, mascara everywhere. If you thought Braveheart and The Notebook were bad, think again. They really should mention this sort of stuff on the ticket…

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMvuA1MUhIk?rel=0]

Mami told the story through footage of her dad- Tomoaki Sunada- every step of the way, from the day he was diagnosed right up until the funeral, with her voice narrating his possible thoughts in that point in time. It took a little while to get used to that, but I found it to be an interesting approach. I also admire her strength in being able to go through with the project, as I can only imagine how hard it could have been; it’s a wonderful way to celebrate someone’s life and preserve their memory.

Her father was a man who worked his way up the company ladder (the same company) up until retirement, only to discover shortly after that he has cancer. He decided not to let it get him down though, and continued to spend time with his family and doing things he enjoys.

It was also an interesting glimpse into the Japanese way of life: the incredible dedication and loyalty towards the company they work for, family dynamics, and what they do for fun. The family dynamics caught my attention. For example, Mr. Sunada and his wife were pretty much separated until he retired from work (it took a toll on their marriage), after which they started dating again…only to find out he had cancer shortly after. That was heartbreaking to watch, and it’s just another reminder that time is precious. Don’t wait until you’re old to do the stuff you love or spend time with people who matter to you. On the other hand, I found it amusing how his children had so much respect for him and their mum, and were there for them no matter what, yet their approach was very pragmatic and logical.

Another thing I found interesting was the way they talked to the doctor. They’re so polite, and proper, and constructive in their conversation, and they have full faith in the doctor’s skills and abilities. No drama, no panic- nothing. I expected *something*, but nope; the whole time they were just polite and proper and constructive. Maybe I’ve been watching too much of The Big C…

The most bizarre thing to me was how her dad planned his funeral. He made a list of people who should attend, what his family should say to those who want to be there but aren’t allowed (his co-workers aren’t invited because it’s only for family and close friends…!!!), where it should take place, the proceedings, and so on. The funniest thing was during his last days he asked his son to retreive the list from his computer, but when the son returned he told Mr. Sunada that the list is no longer on the computer, and the dad responded ‘oh it’s ok, I made a back-up!’. He just really thought of everything, didn’t he?!

But it felt like he was planning a birthday party, not a funeral. I found it quite strange as our funerals aren’t anything like that- you wear black for 3 days, people show up to your house to give condolences (friend or foe- it’s the time to put those differences aside at a time like this), and you have arabic coffee available.

The last moments before he parted with this world were very emotional…waterworks.

There are just so many angles to this film that it really is worth seeing. I look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.

Rating: I highly recommend this film, but make sure you have a box of tissues next to you. I give it 4 Oi’s out of 5.